Ukio Katayama
Ukio Katayama is a member of the Black Hunters. He has served in Yousei Kaizoku's crew for decades and has fought alongside him in several battles. He, along with fellow mages Hideo Kojima and Mamori Hoshino, has befriended Seishuu Kazejin and has taught him advanced spells. Biography Early Years Ukio Katayama served in the pirate crew of Captain Yousei Kaizoku aboard the Aozora, carrying out Pirate King Kuro Tori's will as did other Blue Dragons who had pledged themselves to the Pirate King. The crew had occasional run-ins with ships of the Yamato Empire but either evaded capture or sunk their opponents. Distreyd Era Fall of the Pirates By the time of the Unification of Yamato in 1000 AE, Ukio accompanied Kaizoku and the rest of the crew to Falgorn where they attempted to spy on Shogun Masamori Hyuga's forces. While there, they witnessed the devastating Great Fire of Falgorn and met a young man who introduced himself as Seishuu Kazejin to the crew. As a token of his gratitude for being saved, Shuu pledged himself to Kaizoku who took him into the crew once he learned how capable an illusionist the young man was. Noticing Shuu's magic talent was raw, Ukio and his co-pirates Mamori Hoshino and Hideo Kojima began training the young man in the ways of the arcane whenever they weren't busy carrying out Kaizoku's orders. Out of the trio, Ukio was the most patient mentor to Shuu, encouraging him to wield magic in his own style. They soon learned of the Shogun's alliance with Distreyd Thanadar XII, the newest high cleric of Mardük, and rushed back to the hidden pirates' cove to warn Kuro Tori of the Shogun's ambition to unite all of Yamato under the banner of the Hyuga Clan. Despite the Blue Dragons' resistance in the Battle of Jade Sea, the Shogun's armada eventually prevailed thanks to Kaizoku's first mate Wilheim Maddingway who betrayed his pirate comrades for gold and glory, which allowed the Imperial armada to pinpoint the pirates' hideout and destroy it. Several pirates lost their lives in the great naval battle, Kuro Tori was presumed dead because his body was nowhere to be found, and the pirate captains who had been captured were put under the care of the Shogun's brother Jaotu Hyuga who meticulously brainwashed the captains to become obedient slaves to the Yamato Empire. Servants of the Shogun The 'repurposed' Kaizoku was put in charge of Yamato's northern armada and tasked with preparing the Yamatian Invasion of neighbouring kingdoms. He was allowed to have his old crew back unharmed although he made sure to get his hands on the traitor Maddingway and executed him in a most painful manner. Ukio and the other pirates pledged their loyalty to Kaizoku more than the Shogun but they understood that they'd have to work for the Empire for the time being. Kaizoku and his crew helped the Yamatians and the clerics of Mardük invade Libaterra and later Remon. By 1003 AE, most of the known world had fallen to the blitzkrieg tactics of the Empire. However, the Empire faced its first true setback when a rag-tag bunch of adventurers calling themselves the Fellowship of Tes Pellaria began organizing a resistance in Remon under the leadership of Marcus Sarillius who claimed to be the long-lost heir of Remon's first king. Kaizoku's crew teamed up with various Yamatians and clerics, including Keiko Watanabe and Egendaul Korath, to thwart Marcus's rebels. They fought in many battles against the fellowship such as the Battle of Drithenspire during which Ukio showed just how devastating his spells were. He also commented on the way Shuu had defeated Rinto Bayushi, a giant of a samurai from the Akai Tora, who had threatened the lives of Ukio's squad. The hunters even went so far as to attempt to discredit Marcus by masquerading their men as the king's men during the Massacre at Opethandria. The massacre bore fruit as the tricked Remoners believed Marcus to be an oppressor and formed the Remon Corps which joined Kaizoku's side in what had become the Great War. Kaizoku's crew fought in the Battle of Folsworth Woods against Marcus whose forces now included elves, dwarves, Akai Tora and even knights from Maar Sul and which had begun calling itself the Grand Alliance. Despite having superior numbers and managing to kill quite a few Alliance members in battle, the Empire eventually lost to the Alliance's superior tactics and to the Remon Corps who had defected after learning the truth about the massacre. Realizing the odds had turned against them, Kaizoku chose to flee with his crew while their Yamatian allies fell around them. Forming the Black Hunters After the First Battle of Remonton had ended in the Alliance's victory and Marcus's official coronation of King of the liberated Remon, Kaizoku and his crew retreated to the ''Aozora and began following a fellowship led by Axikasha Keiran who were en route to Myridia in Aison in advance to the main Alliance army. Kaizoku and his men were hell-bent on having their revenge on the Alliance which had bested them in combat and began calling their surviving crew the Black Hunters whose sole purpose were to harm the Alliance where it least expected it. While pursuing Ax's group, the pirates ended up facing the crews of two rival pirates, Captains Aden and Decanus Tafford, in naval combat. The Black Hunters prevailed after a fierce clash and spared the pirates who chose to surrender, including Aden and Decanus, who pledged their loyalty to Kaizoku. The Black Hunters, boosted by the numbers of the pirates they had defeated, continued pursuing Ax's company all the way to Aison's biggest lake Linae'Elena where they witnessed Ax's crew battling a sea serpent. They continued tailing the fellowship after the beast had been driven away but lost them in the tunnels beneath Myridia. To make matters worse, the army of the Grand Alliance assaulted Aison at that point and arrived at Myridia, leading to the chaotic Second Battle of Myridia. Despite suffering heavy losses, the Alliance prevailed yet again but failed to capture Witch-king Zarnagon, a high-ranking member of the Clergy of Mardük, who fled from the city. Ax was nowhere to be found after the battle, and the Black Hunters chose to flee from Aison before the emboldened Alliance forces in Aison would target them next. The hunters chose to head straight back home to Yamato to boost the Empire's defenses there in preparation for the Alliance's inevitable assault on the Yamatian heartland. A World Shattered The Alliance eventually invaded Yamato to end its threat to the world once and for all. The Great War culminated in the Second Battle of Kageshima during which the forces of King Marcus Sarillius and Shogun Masamori Hyuga clashed. The Black Hunters were present, aiding their Yamatian comrades-in-arms. They ended up witnessing the Cataclysm which devastated the world and led to a mass invasions of demons from the Demon Realm onto Yamatian soil in the grisly aftermath. Yamato fell to demons in a matter of months while the survivors from the Alliance fled the doomed country instead of facing this new, even more dangerous enemy in combat. The Black Hunters also fled the chaos that followed, saving who they could along the way while heading south to Aison via a land brige which the Cataclysm had formed between the two countries. With the fall of the Shogun and the Clergy of Mardük's hold over Yamato shattered, the brainwashed captains were freed from the geas that had been placed on them. Kaizoku returned to his old self, once more in control of his actions and no longer being forced to obey the Shogun's will. Kaizoku accepted several people into his new Black Hunters which was formed from the survivors of the Cataclysm, and this even included old enemies like Pratt Staunton who had once opposed the Hunters in the Battle of Folsworth Woods. They settled into Molson which was rebuilt and began running mercenary operations from the city for the highest bidder to ensure their survival in this new, harsher world they found themselves in. Godslayer Era After the rise of the Grey Cult in Aison, the Black Hunters were hired to work for the cult's High Prophet Xerathas d'Zarnagon. Despite their misgivings about the cult's goals and methods, the hunters found the cult more tolerable an employer than the Yamato Empire and the Clergy of Mardük had been. Every month, the hunters raided the lands of Southern Yamato, saving enslaved Yamatians from the demons of the Southern Horde and escorting them south to Aison where the Grey Cult would provide for them. In the early winter of 1017 AE, the Black Hunters left for another mission to Yamato, this time accompanied by their newest recruit, the druid Micah M'Cain. Aliases and Nicknames ; Ukio : What he's called. Appearance A muscled, bald man with a greying beard who wears leather armor. Personality and Traits Dutiful, determined, sometimes playful. Loyal to Kaizoku. Powers and Abilities He can cast advanced black magic spells, including telekinesis. Relationships Seishuu Kazejin Ukio and Shuu have friendly banter with each other and seem to respect each other. Ukio has helped Shuu hone his magic over the years, and Shuu in turn has been a valuable addition to the hunters. He has been the most patient mentor to Shuu, recognizing the young illusionist's talents which simply need honing. Yousei Kaizoku Ukio respects Kaizoku a great deal and will follow him to the ends of the earth if needed. See also *Black Hunters Category:Black Hunters Category:Blue Dragons Category:Characters Category:Humans Category:Third Age Category:Yamato Category:Yamato Empire